Heat's Norris Cole enjoying view from sideline in summer

For the past two summers, his attitude was proving the doubters wrong. The month of July was solely about convincing others he was capable of playing in the NBA.

Now, the focus is on seeing the game from a different angle.

Cole will be on the Miami Heat's bench for the duration of the Las Vegas summer league so he can catch things from a different perspective. He made his sideline debut during Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks.

The idea was spawned by coach Erik Spoelstra, who thought it would be beneficial for Cole to serve as somewhat of an assistant coach.

"This year, I'm watching from a different perspective, from a coaching perspective," Cole said.

"I talked to Spo about it, and he said it would be a good idea for me to come out and work out and see the game from a different angle. I took his advice, and that's what I'm doing."

In essence, Cole is the summer version of Juwan Howard. He is the most experienced player on the roster, offering wisdom to youngsters trying to earn a spot in the league. On Wednesday, it was Cole providing knowledge to the likes of NBA hopefuls such as Anthony Marshall and Myck Kabongo.

The role has given Cole a greater appreciation for what coaches endure.

"You definitely see a lot from sitting on the bench," Cole said.

"You definitely can see where coach [Spoelstra] is coming from. I'm not ready to be a coach yet, with all those timeouts and getting up and sitting down but I'm enjoying this experience."

The Heat have at least one more summer league game before the event concludes Monday at Thomas & Mack Center.

For Cole, the experience is welcomed, considering he has been in the same predicament as some of his students.

Last summer was the beginning of his transformation from rookie prospect into key contributor for the two-time defending champions. After the 2011 lockout caused him to miss the summer league in his first season, he called last year's experience the birth of his improvement as a player.

He averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 assists in his second season, making a strong impression in the second round of the playoffs against the Chicago Bulls. He averaged a playoff-best 11 points, shooting 81 percent (9 of 11) from 3-point line in the series.

"It's so much different not playing in the summer league," Cole said.

"Last year I got to play. I didn't get a chance to play my rookie year so playing last year made a huge difference."

Cole said the week spent here is more than about coaching. He will workout individually on the UNLV campus and also with the team. The time is now to start preparing for another run at the title.

"I've relaxed already," Cole said.

"The championship was, what June 20? I took a little time off. I'm as relaxed as I can be. I feel like I can't take too much time off because I feel like somebody is getting ahead. I'll ease my way back into it but I feel like I have to still do something."

The approach is nothing new for Cole. He's considered one of the team's hardest workers. Last year he spent countless hours with assistant coach Dan Craig working on his outside shot. His shooting percentage steadily improved, especially from the arc.

"I still feel like I have a lot to prove," Cole said.

"Winning two championships, you wouldn't think that, but I still have things I want to work on in my game. I can still develop to help this team get better. That's the good thing about our team, we're back-to-back champs, but we can still get better."